By Alan on Apr 25 in Blog tagged Aaronic, author, baptism, celestial, confusion, coovenants, day, dead, destiny, eternal families, eternal marriage, eternal plan, faith, Family, God, great and dreadful, heavenly parents, Holy Ghost, hope, if only knew, Jesus, marriage, Melchizedek, missing, origin, peace, power, premortal existence, priesthood, prophet, Redeemer, religions, resurrection, struggle, suffer, terresterial telestial, The World, to choose, truth, truths, Where Am I Going, Who Am I, Why am I here, word | 1 Comment

If The World Only Knew What They Were Missing

Here we are living in ‘a great and dreadful day’ with higher learning and so many comforts of life.  We have access to so much information and can advance so fast in society.  Yet, there are still so many who struggle and suffer, especially for knowledge and truth about their origin and destiny.  One of the most important needs we have is the knowledge of  who we are, why we are here and where we came from; religion.

If people would just stop and think about life and see those that are truly happy, they will find it is because they have searched their hearts with prayer and in their minds with studying and reading good books, have found peace within knowing that God is there; realizing He has provided the way to return as His children with with an eternal plan where marriages and families can be together forever!  May I share?

Over the history of this world, there have been many religious leaders who felt inspired and caused many people to follow.  Each of us has the right to learn with the freedom and power to choose ’The Way’ we wish to live our lives and believe.  That’s why we came here.  They also become set and immoveable and will not hear or listen to many truths that have come forth.  If the world only knew what they were missing!

Here are 10 facts about 12 major religions.

These pages summarise the main features of the 12 largest world religions, which together are followed by almost 80% of the world’s population. These beliefs are described without passing any judgment on their truth or otherwise. Not included here are so-called “tribal” and African religions (6%), spiritism, the Eastern religions Cao Dai and Juche (less than 1% in total) and non religious (16%). Source for numbers is www.adherents.com.

Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism and Islam

Jainism, Judaism, Parsees/Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Sikhism & Taoism

For more information on the terms “monotheistic”, “darmic” and “taoic”, see the different types of religions.

With all of this confusion in the world and deciding what to believe, is there any wonder why there are so many religions today?  It is not God’s fault but man’s.

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”  
1 Corinthians 14:33

At some point in each of our lives we will each ask these questions:

Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?

Many ‘Plain and precious truths and  doctrines’ of the gospel have been restored:

The Physical nature of the Godhead

Our creation is in God’s image

Apostles and Prophets

Melchizedek Priesthood

Aaronic Priesthood

Mode of baptism

The gift of the Holy Ghost

Premortal existence

Baptism for the dead

Resurrection

The three Kingdoms of Heaven
(Celestial, Telestial, Terresterial)

Eternal marriage and families

Our potential to become like our Heavenly Parents 

By Alan on May 08 in Blog tagged a man and a woman, abortion, abstinence, avoid pornography, baptism, between husband and wife, blessings, chastity, commandment, complete fidelity, create life, disease, divorce, faithful, Family, feel peace, for His children, God's direction, God's plan, gospel of jesus Christ, heartache, high moral standards, how you dress, in his heart, intimacy, jokes, law, looketh on a woman, marriage, obscene, overcome, Physical intimacy, repentance, resist temptation, sacred, sacred power, Satan, self-control, self-respect, sexual relations, shalt not commit adultery, sin, undesirable thoughts, virtuous and chaste, wholesome recreaction activities, words, you can be forgiven | Comments Off

Chastity

Your Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to be happy today and forever. He has given counsel and commandments through His prophets to help you. One commandment that is vital to your peace and happiness is His commandment regarding sexual purity, known as the law of chastity. The Lord instituted this law from the beginning, and He emphasized its importance to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Obedience to this commandment is a requirement for baptism in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

What Is the Law of Chastity?

Physical intimacy between husband and wife is a beautiful and sacred part of God’s plan for His children. It is an expression of love within marriage and allows husband and wife to participate in the creation of life. God has commanded that this sacred power be expressed only between a man and a woman who are legally married. The law of chastity applies to both men and women. It includes strict abstinence from sexual relations before marriage and complete fidelity and loyalty to one’s spouse after marriage.

In addition to reserving sexual intimacy for marriage, we obey the law of chastity by controlling our thoughts, words, and actions. Jesus Christ taught, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5: 27-28).

The law of chastity requires that sexual relations be reserved for marriage between a man and a woman.

Why Should I Keep the Law of Chastity?

Your Heavenly Father has given the law of chastity to protect and bless you. Like all sacred things, physical intimacy must be expressed according to God’s direction. As you keep the law of chastity, you will enjoy happiness, peace, and self-respect. You will enjoy trust and confidence in your family relation- ships, and you will be blessed with self-control. You will enjoy the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the influence of the Holy Ghost.

Satan leads people to believe that sexual intimacy outside of marriage is acceptable and even desirable. But it is a serious sin; God has always taught His chil- dren to be virtuous and chaste (see Ex. 20: 14 and Alma 39: 3-5). This principle is eternal.

Violating the law of chastity is an abuse of the power God has given to create life; it shows a disregard for Him and for His children. It dulls spirituality and often leads to bitterness, heartache, divorce, disease, and abortion. Those who violate this law are exposed to greater influence from Satan. This sin also seriously affects family members and others.

How Do I Keep the Law of Chastity?

God requires a high moral standard of His children. To keep the law of chastity, you must replace undesirable thoughts, words, and actions with wholesome ones.

The following principles will help:

Thoughts. Positive and constructive thoughts will push negative or immoral ones from your life. As you fill your life with whole- some thoughts and activities, you will grow in your ability to replace and overcome negative thoughts. Reading the scriptures, serving your family, working diligently, and engaging in wholesome recreational activities will help you control your thoughts.

Avoid pornography in all forms. It is addictive and destructive. It will rob you of your self-respect and of an appreciation for the beauties of life. Do not allow your mind to dwell on obscene or immoral thoughts or images. Do not view, read, or listen to anything that depicts or describes the human body or sexual conduct in a disrespectful way. Avoid looking with lustful thoughts at others, and avoid suggestive or explicit movies, television shows, Internet sites, music, books, magazines, and activities.

Words. Let your words build up others and strengthen them. Eliminate degrading, vulgar, and sexually explicit words, jokes, and themes from your conversations.

Actions. Always treat others with respect. Be modest in how you dress. If you remember that each person is a child of God, and if you do all you can to help others follow His plan, then you will be strengthened in your desire to keep the law of chastity.

Determine now that you will not do anything outside of marriage to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not arouse those emotions in another person or in yourself. Do not participate in homosexual or lesbian acts or other immoral activities. Replace activities where you may be tempted to violate the law of chastity with constructive activities and hobbies. In marriage, remain absolutely faithful to your spouse in thought and action.

Because living the law of chastity will bring you closer to God, Satan will entice you to break this commandment. He knows when you are lonely, confused, or depressed, and he will tempt you when you are weak. Pray to your Heavenly Father for help, and He will give you strength to resist temptation (see 1 Cor. 10: 13). As you rely on Him and follow these principles, you will be able to overcome temptation.

Blessings of Living the Law of Chastity

As you live the law of chastity, you will be more open to the influence of the Holy Ghost. With the guidance of the Holy Ghost, you will develop greater wisdom, face trials with greater courage, feel God’s support and direction in your life, and be an example to your family and others. The love you have for your spouse and loved ones will be deeper, richer, and more meaningful. You will experience greater peace of mind.

In the scriptures we learn that true happiness comes from obeying the commandments of God (see Mosiah 2: 41) and that “wickedness never was happi- ness” (Alma 41: 10).

If you have broken the law of chastity, God has made it possible for you to repent and become clean again. Repent now of any past transgressions, and commit to live this sacred law. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and true repentance, you can be forgiven and feel peace.

For The Family

By Alan on May 07 in Blog tagged baptism, cornerstone, dedication, didicated, for eternity, in Missouri, Indian territory, inside the temple, Joseph Smith, Kansas City Missouri Temple, magnificent, Mormon, native Americans, ordinances, President Thomas S. Monson, purpose, sacred work, stately, The Church History, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the light of the gospel, the light of the Savior, unite families, work of God | Comments Off

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Kansas City Missouri Temple Dedicated

The Kansas City Missouri Temple was formally dedicated Sunday in three sessions by President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). The dedicatory sessions were broadcast to congregations of the Church within the temple district.

President Monson said this “stately and magnificent temple in the lovely part of the country, really the heartland of America, … will shine as a beacon of righteousness to all who will follow its light — the light of the gospel, the light of the Savior.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elders William R. Walker and Donald L. Hallstrom of the Seventy accompanied President Monson during the weekend’s events.

The purpose of a temple dedication ceremony is to set aside the building for the work of God. A Latter-day Saint dedication ceremony includes a special prayer designating the building for Church use and asking God to bless the structure and grounds. A dedication ceremony generally also includes music and talks from Church leaders.

Prior to the dedication, President Monson sealed the temple cornerstone, a tradition marking the end of construction and the beginning of the sacred work inside the temple. 

The Kansas City Missouri Temple is the Church’s 137th temple worldwide, 67th in the United States and second in Missouri. The temple will serve some 45,000 Latter-day Saints in 126 congregations throughout Kansas, Missouri and small portions of Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Plans for a temple in Kansas City were announced by the First Presidency of the Church on 4 October 2008. Construction began with a formal groundbreaking on 8 May 2010.

While tens of thousands of Church meetinghouses are open to all people who wish to attend religious services there, temples, like the Kansas City Missouri Temple, are open only to faithful Latter-day Saints after they are formally dedicated. (See a Mormon Newsroom article explaining the difference between the Church’s chapels and temples.)

Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve their fellow man.

The Church’s History in Missouri

The Church has early roots in the Kansas City area. Six months after the Church was organized in April 1830, Joseph Smith called missionaries to travel to the frontier of western Missouri to preach to Native Americans living in Indian Territory (Kansas).

Joseph Smith arrived in Independence in July 1831 and designated the area as a gathering place for Latter-day Saints. Thousands of followers soon arrived. Over the next few years, the Mormon settlement expanded beyond Jackson County into the area that is today the Country Club Plaza. In 1833 the Latter-day Saints left Jackson County, heading north into Liberty in Clay County. They later settled in Daviess and Caldwell Counties, created by the Missouri legislature specifically for the Mormons. About 15,000 Mormons left Missouri in 1838-39, settling in Nauvoo, Illinois, until 1846, when they began their journey across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley.

The Church returned to Kansas in 1895, when an office for the Central States Mission was established in St. John, Kansas. This regional office was moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1900 and then to Independence in 1907. Since that time, local Church membership in the metropolitan area has grown to over 22,000.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

For The Family

By Alan on Dec 04 in Blog tagged about God, baptism, be like Jesus, Book of Mormon, eternity, faith, family home evening, Fathers and Mothers, fight and quarrel, gospel learning, home, Jesus Christ, love one another, Obey the commandments, parents, sin be upon parents, teach their children, The Holy Ghost, understand repentance | Comments Off

Fathers and mothers are responsible to teach their children about God, their Heavenly Father . They should show by example that they love Him because they keep His commandments. They also need to be taught about Jesus Christ who is the Son of God and their Savior who gave His live for all mankind and makes it possible for all to live again.

Parents should also teach their children to pray and to obey the commandments.  Inasmuch as parents have children that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.

As parents come to know God and strive to be like Him, they will teach children to love one another. In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin explained:  “Ye will not suffer your children … [to] fight and quarrel one with another.”

The home is the most important place for gospel learning. No other organization can take the place of the family.  Spending time each week as a family in a family home evening together will help protect our families against the evils of our time and will bring us abundant joy now and throughout the eternities.

“Strengthening The Family – Spiritually”

By Alan on Nov 13 in Blog tagged Aaronic Priesthood, baptism, crucified, Elijah the Prophet, from Jesus Christ, God the Father and Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, LDS, Melchizedek Priesthood, missionaries, Mormons, Priesthood keys of authority, prophets, resurrected, sanctify ourselves, saw a vision, second coming, Temples, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Holy Ghost, the Lord will do wonders among you, the power and authority, the Priesthood, Thomas S. Monson, to help someone, twelve apostles, video | 3 Comments

You Never Know When You Might Need To Help Someone.

Watch this moving video “Sanctify Yourselves.” When a little league football player is struck by lightning, his 18-year-old assistant coach, Bryce Reynolds, was prepared to use his newly-conferred Melchizedek Priesthood authority to call upon the healing powers of heaven.

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Where did Bryce get the power and the authority
to do this wonder?

It was from Jesus Christ Himself.

The Lord Jesus Christ Ordained His Twelve Apostles
with this wonder.

Then,

Jesus was Crucified and All of The Apostles were Killed.

Jesus was Resurrected and visited “His Sheep” or children in several other nations and it was recorded before He
ascended to heaven.

In 1820, Joseph Smith was 14 years old and with Faith, though lacking wisdom, he asked of God which Church he should join and he saw a vision.

God the Father and His Son Jesus Appeared To Joseph Smith.

15 May 1829, John the Baptist also Returned and gave Joseph Smith the Aaronic Priesthood.

Elijah the Prophet held the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood and was the last prophet to do so before the time of Jesus Christ. He appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and conferred the keys of the priesthood on Peter, James, and John (Matt. 17: 3).

On April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland (Ohio) Temple, Elijah the Prophet appeared again, with Moses and  Apostles Peter, James,and John, who came from heaven and conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood and the keys thereof upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
(D&C 27: 12-13; 128: 20).

As demonstrated by his miraculous deeds, the power of Elijah is the sealing power of the priesthood by which things bound or loosed on earth are bound or loosed in heaven.

Thus the keys of this power are once again operative on the earth and are used in performing all the ordinances of the gospel for the living and the dead.

This is done in The House of the Lord, His Temples.

Joseph Smith ordained others to both Priesthoods and it has been handed down over time to several other Prophets.

Our Living Prophet today is President Thomas S. Monson with Counsilors President Henry B. Eyring, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf who hold all of the Priesthood Keys.

They hold the Authority to Ordained, Baptize, Bless and Administer the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

New Members and Converts can become Members of The Church of  Jesus Christ.

First, starting at the age of eight, which is the age of accountability, with Faith and Repentance
they are Baptized by emersion.

They then Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by one who has the Authority.

At the age of Twelve, Worthy Young Men are Ordained into the Aaronic Priesthood.

The can then begin their leadership as young
Aaronic Priesthood leaders.

At 18 years of age, a young man who is worthy is Ordained into the Melchizedek Priesthood and given leadership callings.

If they continue to be worthy, they can be called to serve as full time Missionaries and go wherever they are called to serve somewhere around the world to teach the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is where that young man, Bryce Reynolds in the Video, got the authority to exercise his priesthood that helped save another’s life.

He knew he had the Priesthood authority.

… and so he used it!

His Authority Line goes back to Jesus Christ.

He holds the KEYS to the
Priesthood of God.

No one can just assume this Authority.

Based upon one’s worthiness, it MUST be given to him by one who has the Authority and the keys given to him that can be traced back to Jesus Christ.  This ordination is done the same way that Jesus did by the laying on of hands.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

All of this has been in preparation for the second coming of the Lord, as spoken of in Malachi 4: 5-6.

President Monson and the First Presidency of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
hold these keys today.

The Genealogy of the Keys of Authority.

Learn More?

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Cor. 14: 33

Alan Osmond
For The Family

By Alan on Mar 31 in Blog tagged Adam, baptism, Garden of Eden, Jesus Christ, original sin, Plan of Salvation, the Atonement | 3 Comments

Members of the Church believe that “original sin” as commonly understood in many branches of western Christianity was not a doctrine taught by the Bible, Jesus, or the apostles.

There is a form of “original sin” in LDS theology, but it is a matter that has been resolved through the atonement of Christ:

And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden. Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world. (Moses 6:53-54, emphasis added.)

Thus, LDS theology explicitly rejects the idea that Adam’s “original sin” results in a condemnation of the entire human race. Efforts to insist that all of humanity is thereby tainted, all desires are corrupted, or all infants are damned without baptism are untrue. Because of temptation and the instinctive desires of physical bodies, human beings wrestle with the desire to sin (Matthew 26:41; Mosiah 3:19), but Adam’s actions in the Garden of Eden have no bearing on this.

As Wilford Woodruff taught:

What is called the original sin was atoned for through the death of Christ irrespective of any action on the part of man; also man’s individual sin was atoned for by the same sacrifice, but on condition of his obedience to the Gospel plan of salvation when proclaimed in his hearing.”

Free Book of Mormon HERE! Learn More HERE!

By Alan on Mar 19 in Blog tagged apostles, baptism, Celestial Kingdom, church, covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, Elijah the Prophet, eternal lives, exaltation, faith, free, hate, in this world, James, Jesus Christ, John, John the Baptist, Joseph Smith, know me, LDS, Mormon, Peter, repentance, restored, scriptures, shall ye know me, son of God, temple, The Book of Mormon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The House of The Lord, the way | Comments Off

22 For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

23 But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.

24 This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.

25 Broad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the deaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they receive me not, neither do they abide in my law.

I invite you to receive these truths with faith and repentance and to be baptized by those who have the authority and with the laying on of hands, receive the Holy Ghost.  You need to do it  in this world so that you will have those priesthood blessings and covenants necessary to enter into The House of The Lord or Temple and receive those everlasting ordinances and promises so that you may be with Him and with your spouse and family for all eternity.

Please go to http://mormon.org where there are options for things you can do now, in the world.

For a Free Book of Mormon CLICK HERE!

Alan Osmond
For The Family

By Alan on Mar 18 in Blog tagged allowance, Apostle, baptism, Key, LDS, love God, love neighbors, Mormon, mutual respect, mutual understanding, priorities, Russell M. Nelson, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tolerance, tolerate | 1 Comment

Tolerance is a virtue much needed in our turbulent world. But we must recognize that there is a difference between tolerance and tolerate. Your gracious tolerance for an individual does not grant him or her license to do wrong, nor does your tolerance obligate you to tolerate his or her misdeed. That distinction is fundamental to an understanding of this vital virtue.
Russell M. Nelson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Two Great Commandments

Our highest priorities in life are to love God and to love our neighbors. ¹That broadly includes neighbors in our own family, our community, our nation, and our world. Obedience to the second commandment facilitates obedience to the first commandment. “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).

Baptism Transcends Background

On every continent and across isles of the sea, the faithful are being gathered into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Differences in cultural background, language, gender, and facial features fade into insignificance as members lose themselves in service to their beloved Savior.

Only the comprehension of the true fatherhood of God can bring full appreciation of the true brotherhood of man. That understanding inspires desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.

Intolerance seeds contention; tolerance supersedes contention. Tolerance is the key that opens the door to mutual understanding and love.

Risks of Boundless Tolerance

Now may I offer an important note of caution. An erroneous assumption could be made that if a little of something is good, a lot must be better. Not so! Overdoses of needed medication can be toxic. Boundless mercy could oppose justice. So tolerance, without limit, could lead to spineless permissiveness.

The Lord drew boundary lines to define acceptable limits of tolerance. Danger rises when those divine limits are disobeyed. Just as parents teach little children not to run and play in the street, the Savior taught us that we need not tolerate evil. “Jesus went into the temple of God, … and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers” (Matthew 21:12; see alsoMark 11:15). Though He loves the sinner, the Lord said that He “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (D&C 1:31).

Real love for the sinner may compel courageous confrontation—not acquiescence! Real love does not support self-destructing behavior.

Tolerance and Mutual Respect

Our commitment to the Savior causes us to scorn sin yet heed His commandment to love our neighbors. Together we live on this earth, which is to be tended, subdued, and shared with gratitude. ² Each of us can help to make life in this world a more pleasant experience.

The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued a public statement from which I quote:

“It is morally wrong for any person or group to deny anyone his or her inalienable dignity on the tragic and abhorrent theory of racial or cultural superiority.

“We call upon all people everywhere to recommit themselves to the time-honored ideals of tolerance and mutual respect. We sincerely believe that as we acknowledge one another with consideration and compassion we will discover that we can all peacefully coexist despite our deepest differences.” ³

Together we may stand intolerant of transgression but tolerant of neighbors with differences they hold sacred. Our beloved brothers and sisters throughout the world are all children of God. He is our Father. His Son, Jesus, is the Christ. His Church has been restored to the earth in these latter days to bless all of God’s children.

By Alan on Mar 11 in Blog tagged Abraham, Adam, baptism, Celestial Kingdom, children of Israel, covenant people, covenants, decendants, Enoch, everlasting covenant, Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, LDS, Lehi, marriage, members of the church, Mormons, Noah, Old Testament, promises, sacrament, temple ordinances, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 3 Comments

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I share with you this article as a follow up to several questions about my article that I posted yesterday.

Mormon is a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Sometimes called, LDS.

Alan Osmond
A Mormon

..

The Nature Of Covenants. (Or Promises)

• What is a covenant?  Why are Latter-day Saints called a covenant people?

From the beginning, the Lord has made covenants with His children on earth. When His people make covenants (or promises) with Him, they know what He expects of them and what blessings they may expect from Him. They can better carry out His work on earth. The people who covenant with the Lord and with whom the Lord makes covenants are known as the Lord’s covenant people. Members of the Church are part of the Lord’s covenant people.

Within the gospel, a covenant means a sacred agreement or mutual promise between God and a person or a group of people. In making a covenant, God promises a blessing for obedience to particular commandments. He sets the terms of His covenants, and He reveals these terms to His prophets. If we choose to obey the terms of the covenant, we receive promised blessings. If we choose not to obey, He withholds the blessings, and in some instances a penalty also is given.

For example, when we join the Church we make several covenants with God. We covenant with the Savior at baptism to take upon ourselves His name. He promises that “as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved” (D&C 18:22).

We covenant with the Lord as we partake of the sacrament . We promise to take His name upon ourselves, to remember Him, and to obey His commandments. We are promised that the Holy Spirit will be with us. (See D&C 20:77–79.)

When we receive temple ordinances, we make other sacred covenants and are promised exaltation for faithful obedience (see D&C 132; .

God has also made special covenants with particular persons or groups. He made special covenants with Adam, Enoch, Noah, the children of Israel, and Lehi (see Moses 6:31–36, 52; Genesis 9:9–17; Exodus 19:5–6; 2 Nephi 1).

He made a special covenant with Abraham and his descendants that blesses members of the Church and all nations of the earth today.

• Think about the covenants you have made with God and the blessings He has promised you for keeping these covenants.

God’s Covenant with Abraham and His Descendants

• What is the Abrahamic covenant?

Abraham, an Old Testament prophet, was a very righteous man. He refused to worship his father’s idols. He kept all of the Lord’s commandments. Because of Abraham’s righteousness, the Lord made a covenant with him and his descendants.

The Lord promised Abraham that he would have numberless descendants. He promised that all of them would be entitled to receive the gospel, the blessings of the priesthood, and all of the ordinances of exaltation. These descendants, through the power of the priesthood, would carry the gospel to all nations. Through them, all the families of the earth would be blessed (see Abraham 2:11). God further promised that if they were righteous He would establish His covenant with all generations of Abraham’s children (see Genesis 17:4–8).

• How do the commandments and promises in the Abrahamic covenant apply to us?

Members of the Church Are a Covenant People

• What blessings and responsibilities come to God’s covenant people today?

The blood descendants of Abraham are not the only people whom God calls His covenant people. In speaking to Abraham, God said, “As many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed [lineage], and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father” (Abraham 2:10). Thus, two groups of people are included in the covenant made with Abraham: (1) Abraham’s righteous blood descendants and (2) those adopted into his lineage by accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ (see 2 Nephi 30:2).

When we are baptized into the Church, we enter into the covenant the Lord made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Galatians 3:26–29). If we are obedient, we inherit the blessings of that covenant. We have the right to receive help and guidance from the Holy Ghost. Worthy males have the right to hold the priesthood. Families can receive the blessings of the priesthood. We can gain eternal life in the celestial kingdom. There are no greater blessings than these.

Along with the blessings we receive as the Lord’s covenant people, we have great responsibilities. The Lord promised Abraham that through his descendants the gospel would be taken to all the earth. We are fulfilling this responsibility through the full-time missionary program of the Church and the missionary work done by the members. This opportunity to preach the gospel to all the world belongs only to the Lord’s Church and His covenant people.

As the Lord’s covenant people, we should keep His commandments. The Lord said, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10). If we reject our covenant after accepting the gospel, the covenant becomes void and we will stand condemned before God (see D&C 132:4). He has said: “Refrain from sin, lest sore judgments fall upon your heads. For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation” (D&C 82:2–3).

The New and Everlasting Covenant

• What do we promise to do when we accept the gospel? What blessings does Heavenly Father give us as we keep these promises?

The fulness of the gospel is called the new and everlasting covenant. It includes the covenants made at baptism, during the sacrament, in the temple, and at any other time. The Lord calls it everlasting because it is ordained by an everlasting God and because the covenant will never be changed. He gave this same covenant to Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and other prophets. In this sense it is not new. But the Lord calls it new because each time the gospel is restored after being taken from the earth, it is new to the people who receive it (see Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 37:26).

When we accept the new and everlasting covenant, we agree to repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, receive our endowments, receive the covenant of marriage in the temple, and follow and obey Christ to the end of our lives. As we keep our covenants, our Heavenly Father promises us that we will receive exaltation in the celestial kingdom (see D&C 132:20–24;

The greatness of that promise is hard for mortals to understand. The commandments He gives are for our benefit, and as we are faithful we may forever share the blessings and beauties of heaven and earth. We may live in His presence and partake of His love, compassion, power, greatness, knowledge, wisdom, glory, and dominions.

• What does being the Lord’s covenant people have to do with how we dress, act, and keep the commandments of God?

Additional Scriptures and Other Sources

• 1 Peter 2:9–10 (peculiar people)

• D&C 54:4–6 (effects of covenants kept and broken)

• D&C 132:7 (covenants made by proper authority)

• D&C 133:57–60 (purpose of covenants)

• D&C 35:24 (promises for obedience to covenants)

• Hebrews 8:6 (Jesus Christ is the mediator of a better covenant)

By Alan on Feb 19 in Blog tagged baptism, celestial, create, creator, God, greed, he way, heaven, hell, Holy Ghost, How to get to the highest kingdom, Jesus, mansions, physical body, pleasures, power, repentance, Satan, spirit body, telestial, teresterial, the natural man, The Plan, worldly | 3 Comments

THE WAY:

HELL – OUTER DARKNESS

TERESTERIAL – Like The STAR

TELESTIAL – Like The MOON

CELESTIAL – Like The SUN

Our world is constantly battling for power, glory, money and riches, and seeking for more worldly pleasures despite those commandments we have been given that help us fulfill our earthly purposes here on earth.

Those who wish to be successful in this journey of life are those who realize and remember who created us, this world, and everything that is upon it, and whose Plan of Life we chose before we came here, only to remember who we are, why we are here, and where we are going.

We are children of God and with spirit bodies, came to this world to receive a physical body to become more like our Heavenly Parents with the God given powers to create life and become like our God, as creators! We chose Jesus’s Plan of Life, the God of this world, and even went to war in heaven against Satan and his plan to have the freedoms to choose and determine where we want to live forever after this earthly test by proving ourselves worthy.

I feel that too often we get caught up with pride, greed, and the limited focus and desire to be accepted of the world more than trying to remember what is important and be in the world but NOT of it! “The Natural man is an enemy of God”.

We MUST remember that we are NOT Human beings having Spiritual experiences!  We ARE Spiritual Beings, even children of God, having Human Experiences!

We are at the final stages of this world. We were saved for this day as we were the strongest, the most valiant spirits that our Heavenly Father had who could withstand the temptations and distractions of the evil one and to return to heaven after this world to claim our graduation from this school of life.  We came to prepare ourselves to become exalted spiritual beings like our parents as children do, and to live forever in the mansion of our worthiness for all eternity and become even more like our Heavenly parents!

This is why we are here. We are in a “school of learning“ and we are being ‘tested’ and will be graded at judgement day by the choices we have made.  It is basically as simple as that.  Have you ever gone to a school where you were not tested?  Our memory of who we were and what we did before we came here was temporarily blocked from our minds as it would not really be a test if we had all the answers in front of us.

I wish to point out that those important choices that each and every person must remember as we decide which way we will choose to follow and where we want to end up after this life!

-       There were two ways, or plans of life.  Jesus’s and Satan’s. Jesus would show us the way and the Glory be god’s.  Satan would make us follow his Plan and he wants all the glory for himself for doing so. We chose Jesus’s Plan, and that’s why we are here. One third of the spirits children in heaven went with Satan’s plan and were denied a physical body.  You chose Jesus’s way and now have a physical body.

-       Jesus is the God of this world. He was the God of Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Noah, and is still the God of this world today.

-       Satan’s influence is still here. There are opposites in all things.

-       God talks to us through His prophets. He has given us commandments to follow which are still valid today.

-       There are kingdoms or mansions of heaven where we will go after we die where entrance will be based upon our being able to live those laws that are affiliated with each kingdom. God says, “All that I have is thine.” We are the ones that decide in which mansion we will dwell for eternity based upon those laws we are willing to live. There is a mansion or glory like unto the sun, a mansion or glory like unto the moon, a mansion or glory like unto the stars, and there is hell, a glory of everlasting darkness.  So also is the resurrection.

-       Children are innocent until the age of eight. Those who die before the age of eight need not to be baptized.

-       We were commanded to multiply and replenish the earth and to seek marriage, which is ordained of God, and to keep those creative powers sacred while experiencing the act of being co-creators with God by bringing children into this world.   To progress and be a creator after this world you will need a partner so get married for all eternity and not just till death do you part.  Your children will automatically be sealed to you forever if done in the temple, the House o the Lord. This life is a trial run if you will in becoming like our Heavenly parents, creators of life.  Any misuse of these powers is sin and future use of these powers will be denied.

-       Everyone will live again because of Jesus’s sacrifice for us. The body and the spirit will be reunited eternally after this life.

-       To live in the highest kingdom of heaven, one must have repented of past sins and be washed clean by being baptized by one who has the authority.  He or she then needs to receive the Holy Ghost as a constant companion to help guide and direct their lives.

-       Just as the choices we made in heaven affected who we are here on earth, the choices we make here on earth will affect the place or mansion in heaven we will live forever in the next life.

-       The fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been given to us. We must receive and perform those sacred ordinances in this life in order to reach the highest kingdoms, or not.

-       Those who died without the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His gospel are being taught in the spirit world after they die.  Should they accept His ways, their ordinances must be performed by proxy here on earth in the Holy Temples or Houses of the Lord.  This is the great work of Elijah that is going on in the Lord’s Temples today.

We know how this world is going to end.  Prophets have revealed it to us.  It will be a great and a dreadful day.   If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.

Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I feel badly for those that don’t.

The wars and troubles that we see today are all because of bad choices and in not following Jesus’s Plan of Life.  Satan is very much alive today and is still trying to fulfill his Plan of total control of our lives with limited freedoms and claiming all the glory and riches for himself.  You can see this evil  pattern in the world today.

If you would like to know more, CLICK HERE.

CLICK TO WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S PLAN:

2010-11-01-introduction-our-heavenly-fathers-plan-700k-eng.mp4